Dead fish spotted at Sungei Buloh likely trapped and died due to recent hot weather: NParks

SINGAPORE – Scores of dead fish were seen at Sungei Buloh on Aug 5, with the National Parks Board (NParks) saying that they were likely trapped in shallow waters and subsequently died due to the hot weather.

A Facebook user posted a photograph of the dead fish, alongside several birds standing in shallow water, at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, and wondered what had happened.

In a media reply, NParks identified most of the fish as milkfish, a wild species that is found in Singapore’s coastal waters. No other dead wildlife was found along the surrounding coastal areas, it added.

NParks’ group director of conservation Lim Liang Jim said: “It is likely that the fish became trapped in shallow water bodies within the reserve and subsequently died due to the recent hot weather.”

NParks will remove the dead fish from the shore when the tidal conditions are suitable and it is safe to do so.

In response to media queries, Tan Heok Hui, senior collection manager of fishes at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, said that more mass fish deaths may occur due to the hot weather.

However, he emphasised that fish deaths are usually the result of many reasons, not just hot weather.

“Usually the fish death is multifactorial. Contributing factors could be from both the Singapore side and Johor side,” he added.

In April 2019, thousands of fish died in the waters near Lim Chu Kang jetty and in nearby fish farms.

The warmer weather was said to be the likely cause, as higher temperatures could have resulted in a lack of oxygen in the water.